I had to replace the axle on my trailer in 2015. Went with the Vortex hubs. I have had no issues at all. Re-greasing the bearings is a breeze.

I just helped my son buy a shotgun for his wife about 6 months aga. Finding a gun to properly fit women is a tough adventure. The biggest hurdle I found was that is seems that the standard comb drop is to large for women and it tends to have them “lean” their head slightly over the comb when shooting. When that happens the recoil is felt in the cheek of the shooter and that does not feel good. In my opinion, this is what happens when people say the gun kicks to much. They have an improper fitting gun and get recoil to the face. The second issue was the distance from the palm swell to the trigger. My daughter in law is 5′-4″ and she can not reach the trigger comfortably on a standard model or even most youth models.

She ended up with a Franchi Affinity Catalyst in 20ga. The Catalyst series is tailored for women with a higher combo, shortened trigger reach, and I was happy to see that the palm swell was very small. Gun is light weight, simple to operate, and I thought it was a well thought out design. I could not find that gun within 100 miles of the twin cities this spring so if you would like to see how it fits your daughter, let me know and I would be happy to arrange a meeting.

Reef,

Do you still have these for sale?

I just went through this with my boat and here is what I found for me. All amps listed are typical draw that I measured or found in the user manuals.

Garmin 7610 – 1.95 Amps
Garmin 942 – 1.4 Amps
Garmin Panoptix PS 30 – 0.83 Amps
Garmin Panoptix PS22 – 0.68 Amps
Garmin Network Port – 0.23 Amps
Bilge Pump – 1.5 Amps
Back Livewell Pump – 1.5 Amps
Front Livewell Pump – 1.5 Amps
Marine Radio – 0.3 Amps (on standby) 5.5 Amps (transmitting)
Interior Lights (from boat mfgr plus additional installed by me) – 0.85 Amps
Running Lights – 0.25 Amps
Stereo – 2.0 Amps

My typical fishing amps draw is 8.9 amps. With everything running I’m at 13.0 amps. However, if everything was under max load I’m at 18.3 Amps, however I don’t see how this would ever happen in real life.

I added a second battery in the back of the boat. One battery for motor, pumps, radio, and lights. Second battery runs all the graphs, network, and transducers. So far it has worked well but I have not been on week long trip to really test the limits.

Hope this helps.

I had the same problem with my 2001 90 Merc. Discovered it last year after the tach quit working on a February outing on Pool 4. I installed “NEW MERCURY MARINER 6 WIRE RECTIFIER REGULATOR 815279-3 8152795 815279T 8301792” and no issues to date. Tach has been working great and no burned up wires.

JMP

Send you a PM.

Congratulations on the new house!

I’ll be out chasing jumbo perch in the NE South Dakota area.

Call Ricky at Brainerd Props. His knowledge is fantastic and his customer service is even better. Helped me out with my setup. Couldn’t be happier.

JMP

My view this morning.

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I’ve only fished the Canadian side si I can’t comment on thaf. But boat traffic is much less on the Canadian side. If you plan to cross the border by boat you will need an I68 from the US border patrol office and a RABC from the Canadian government. You can get a RABC at the Fort Francis border patrol office or by mail. I68 you have to show up in person. Make sure you check the Ontario regulations on your boat. If stopped by the Canadian conservation officer or border patrol they check everything out. Right down to having an oar in the boat. No live bait can be taken across and no beer or alcohol i the boat. Save yourself some money and purchase a conservation liscense for your trip to Rainy. The only difference is that the possession limit is 2 instead of 4.

Enjoy your trip!!!

44, 2 years, hate hate hate facebook. I take information from internet with a grain of salt. IDO is the only forumn I’m on and really like hearing about new techniques.

PM sent.

JMP

Antenna range is 1.23 * square root of the antenna height. You add the height of your antenna to the height of the receiving antenna to get the total distance. I spend a lot of time on Rainy Lake fishing on my own. I have an 8′ Shakespeare 8900 on my boat and the same antenna on the cabin. The cabin antenna is about 24 feet above the water. The farthest I have been able to communicate with the boss (wife) is 8 miles. The calculated range is almost 9.5 miles, so not bad as there are many islands in the area that we area. The antenna’s will be in there third year of use.

Prior to installing the 8900’s I had the cheapest 8′ Shakespeare that you could buy and I could communicate 3 miles away.

My experiences. Let me know if you have any questions.

Joe

Call the propman in Brainerd. I just purchased a new stainless prop from him. Highly recommended.

Cal,

Do you have data on the different props you tested? If so would you be willing to share the data?

I would be interested in ML depending on work schedule. Haven’t been to ML in 5-6 years.

Great video Randy! Better than watching TV, plus no commercials!!! Know spend some time pulling the handle.

Joe

A wealth of knowledge here. Tip of the cap to everyone. Looks like I will be watching for sales in the next few months.

Tight lines everyone!

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Whatever you do…make sure to have as much protection from the sun as possible. I just got diagnosed yesterday with skin cancer on the top of my head. Not a big deal (thankfully), just a spot that needs to be removed and all should be gone…for now. I went bald in my late 20’s and got me head scorched a few times back then but have always worn a hat outside for the last 30 years. So any burn you have now, may come back to haunt years later. I try to avoid being in direct sun during the midday and always apply sunscreen liberally on all exposed skin when I’m out. Yes, the sunscreen is messy but consider the alternative? I may start looking into this UPF clothing as well.

Sorry to hear that. You’ve been added to my prayer list every day. Can’t prove that it works but surely doesn’t hurt!

I still will have to use some sunscreen at times. Just trying to find an alternative to the sloppy stuff.

biggill wrote:

I want to add that I wore a Sims neck gaitor all day on Lake Superior on Tuesday and felt sunburnt on my whole face all day yesterday. I even had it tucked under my sunglasses on my nose. No exposed skin so I’m now a little skeptical and disappointed.

Have you washed the gaiter or was it fairly new? I’m not saying you did something wrong just a question that popped into my head. I’m a little skeptical that the UPF rating stays the same when washed multiple times.

Mookie Blaylock wrote:

I wear both when the summer sun is out. When its cooler in spring and fall I wear a regular longsleeve shirt for a little more weight. The sun shirts are ultra lightweight and have vents, besides that I haven’t seen any magic out of them. Sun masks are great for a few things year round. I always wear around my neck to keep the sun off, to me they are uncomfortable to wear over your face and ears.

I may just have to get used to the sun mask or sleeve. I was worried about that piece but hoping it is something I can live with.

Thank you Ryan, frydog, & sktrwx2100. This is exactly what I was looking for. I will wear them more than just fishing. Probably every day I’m outside for a spell. Even items on sale, it doesn’t take long to spend $300.

Sktrwx210, I have a different philosophy on long term health but I’m probably jaded quite a bit. But saving a trip to the hospital is a big deal.

Suzuki and Jon, A long sleeve cotton, poly, etc. that you buy a department store are extremely hot in the summer and do not breath very well. I’m in MN also so you get get the weather. The UPF clothing wicks away moisture and allows the air to move through but does not allow the UV rays to get to your skin. One part of my condition is I sweat all the time. I can turn a shirt a different color sitting on the couch in January with the temp at 65. Regular shirts just don’t work. Sunscreen is a pain in the ??? as stated by others. I have to reapply every hour.

Went out last Saturday with my 11 year old nephew. First Big Stone opener for him and hopefully many more. The wind made boat control difficult at best. Water temps right around 55 degrees and lake was much clearer than usual. Bite was very tough but it got a little better after sunset. Nothing to write home about.

Congratulations. A memory that you will have forever!

Sent you a pm Sticker.

JMP

Thanks guy. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I am either fishing on Michigan or heading out to the glacier lakes area in South Dakota and chase walleyes. If the weather does not cooperate, I will get to Michigan another weekend. Either way it is a win.

Thank again,

jmp1890